gadget diary

ARTICLE – See anything different in the screenshot above of the Google Messages app? It’s those 3 little dots at the bottom that bounce up and down when the person who you’re texting is replying to you. That’s right, iPhone snobs will no longer be able to gloat about how great their blue bubbles are …

ARTICLE – The Pixel 2 XL was my all-time favorite smartphone for a couple of years and I kept going back to it each time I’d try the newest flagship from various other phone makers. I purchased the Pixel 3 XL last year but promptly returned it because it felt almost identical to the 2 …

ARTICLE – It’s been a few weeks since I wrote a gadget diary post about being selected to join T-Mobile’s invite-only (right now) Home Internet pilot program and I thought it was time to post a follow up to let you all know how it’s been working out for me so far. What did they send …

ARTICLE – I came home yesterday afternoon to find a postcard in my mailbox inviting me to join T-Mobile’s new Home Internet pilot test which started rolling out back in March. I remembered reading about their invite-only service for existing T-Mobile customers but forgot all about it until yesterday. For a little background, I live …

ARTICLE – As Britney Spears would say, “oops, I did it again…” I ordered another phone. This time it’s the Huawei P30 Pro. I know that my score sheet for buying new phones and actually keeping them has been pretty embarrassing for the last year and a half. The last phone that I bought and …

ARTICLE – I feel like I’m Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day. Every time I want to upgrade to a new phone, I get all those exciting newphonia feelings until I actually get the phone in my hand and something spoils it for me. That’s what’s happened with the Samsung Galaxy S10+ when I …

ARTICLE – My track record for upgrading phones has been bad the past year and half but that’s finally going to change. Really, I promise this time guys! First some background… I bought the Pixel 2 XL back in the fall of 2017 which feels like forever ago, but I’ve been using that phone since …

ARTICLE – After Google’s Pixel 3 XL unveiling a couple of weeks ago, I immediately ordered one because I’m a sucker for newphoneia, that feeling you get when you order a new phone and the anticipation that it will make your life easier, better, and more fun. At least I think that was what was …

ARTICLE – Like many of you, I watched yesterday’s live stream of Apple’s Gather Round event and I really have to hand it to Apple. They are masters at reeling me in with their dirty nerd talk of bionic processors, neural engines, advanced algorithms, and sensors. Those terms give me goosebumps. Or maybe Apple is …

ARTICLE – Three days ago Samsung officially rolled out their newest device, the Galaxy Note9 at their Unpacked event in New York City. The Note line of devices has always been the most powerful, feature-rich smartphones of Samsung’s mobile line up and this year’s new Note does not deviate from that tradition. The Note9 boasts …

ARTICLE – I have been using iMacs and MacBooks to do my Gadgeteer work for the past 13 years. I love the simplicity of macOS and although I use a Windows 10 laptop all day long at my day job, I’m always happy to go home and use my 12-inch MacBook. However, a few weeks …

Last week I told you that my 12-inch MacBook had to be admitted into the hospital to get its keyboard fixed. It’s been at the MacExperience store in Bloomington, IN since Saturday. They told me that the turn around time would be 3-5 business days. With the July 4th holiday yesterday, I’ve been a little …

ARTICLE – Sadly, my 12-inch MacBook is sick and needs surgery. It’s suffering from a debilitating SKD (Stuck Key Disease). Yes, it’s one of the 1000’s, maybe millions of Apple MacBooks with the newer generation keyboards that are obviously flawed due to their thinner mechanisms that are susceptible to breakage. I’ve been dealing with a …

I recently returned from an epic vacation to California where Jeanne and I explored 3 different locations over the course of 7 days. As with most trips, I always struggle with the gear that I want to take with me. I am a minimalist at heart, so I like to pack the least amount …

I’ve been seeing a lot of headlines this afternoon about Google updating the web-based Gmail interface for the first time in years. I can’t remember any changes to Gmail since I switched to it as my only email client back in 2009. Software updates are usually something that I enjoy and look forward to, but …